Though the number of people killed by coconuts has been exaggerated, it is true that it does happen.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_by_coconut
See also http://astrorhysy.blogspot.cz/2015/11/sense-and-sensible-statistics.html
Originally shared by Ciro Villa
Terrorist? schmterrorist, mass killer? shcmass killer, supremacists, criminals? schsupremacists, and schcriminals.. None of these more lethal than your dresser, armoire and blood thirsty credenzas!
" What accounts for the fear that terrorism inspires, considering that its actual risk in the United States and other Western countries is so low? The answer lies in basic human psychology. Scholars have repeatedly found that individuals have strong tendencies to miscalculate risk likelihood in predictable ways.
For instance, individuals’ sense of control directly influences their feeling about whether they are susceptible to a given risk. Thus, for instance, although driving is more likely to result in deadly accidents than flying, individuals tend to feel that the latter is riskier than the former. Flying involves giving up control to the pilot. The resulting sense of vulnerability increases the feeling of risk, inflating it far beyond the actual underlying risks.
When people dread a particular hazard, and when it can harm large numbers at once, it’s far more likely that someone will see it as riskier than it is–and riskier than more serious hazards without those characteristics. For instance, people have been found to estimate that the number killed each year by tornadoes and floods are about the same as those killed by asthma and diabetes. But the latter (diabetes, in particular) account for far more deaths each year than the former. In fact, in the year that study was conducted, actual annual diabetes deaths were estimated in the tens of thousands while fewer than 1,000 people died in tornadoes. "
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2015/11/23/youre-more-likely-to-be-fatally-crushed-by-furniture-than-killed-by-a-terrorist/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2015/11/23/youre-more-likely-to-be-fatally-crushed-by-furniture-than-killed-by-a-terrorist
And here in Canada, you're more likely to be killed in a vehicular collision with a Moose than killed by a terrorist.
ReplyDeleteHow does it compare against death by eucalyptus tree?
ReplyDeleteAndres Soolo Trees are, in fact, less dangerous than terrorists.
ReplyDeletehttp://sutroforest.com/eucalyptus-myths/
Rhys Taylor: Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThere's a difference. Furniture, coconut trees and moose don't hate and want to kill anything that's not their kind. They peacefully coexist. That is unless we decide to kill them; which we often do. Well, arguably, the furniture is already dead.
ReplyDeleteDavid Lazarus I've had some close calls with fully-loaded IKEA Billys. I swear that once they taste blood you just have to have them put down.
ReplyDeleteJames Garry I believe you'd just solved the mystery of where Rincewind's luggage comes from.
ReplyDeletehttp://wiki.lspace.org/mediawiki/The_Luggage
Though if deaths were caused by a few extremist sofas rather than accidents, I still wouldn't be any more afraid.
ReplyDelete